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Virgin Atlantic and WestJet are expanding the agreement between the two airlines to add codeshares on connecting flights throughout Canada after Virgin launches its London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to/from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) flights on March 30th. The two airlines will also co-locate and shift operations to Terminal 3 in Toronto.
Codeshare flights are on sale as of yesterday and offer connections to 13 Canadian cities including:
- Calgary International Airport (YYC)
- Edmonton International Airport (YEG)
- Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW)
- Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
- Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG)
Canadians looking to connect onward from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) will see options on Virgin Atlantic flights to Dubai, India, the Maldives, and South Africa.
Reciprocal loyalty program benefits across both Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and WestJet Rewards are expected to roll out later this year. Back in September, I wrote about Virgin Atlantic’s plans to launch three new longhaul routes in 2025 including Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). This is the first Canadian route added to the map in over a decade. Toronto is Canada’s financial hub and Virgin Atlantic will begin offering nonstop flights using a mix of Airbus A330-300 and Airbus A330neo aircraft.
Juha Jarvinen, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, said:
Canada is an incredibly important opportunity for Virgin Atlantic as many of our customers travel between the Great White North, the UK, India and beyond. This expanded partnership with WestJet, alongside our partners at Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM, will create seamless connectivity for our customers via our new route launching between Toronto and London.
Our codeshare agreement with WestJet aims to respond to a continued demand for travel to the UK and India from across the region. Canadian customers can expect a premium, personalized experience at every step of the journey, delivered by our amazing people, the red thread that sets us apart.”
John Weatherill, Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer at WestJet, added:
We are thrilled to enhance our partnership with Virgin Atlantic and support their return to Canada. As the first phase of this expansion, we are excited to welcome guests from across Virgin Atlantic’s global network by providing connectivity across Canada with WestJet.
This expanded codeshare will simplify travel and deliver a more seamless experience for our shared guests. We look forward to building closer ties in the months ahead, providing more options to connect Canada with the world.”
Anthony’s Take: This partnership makes sense for both carriers. I have enjoyed flying WestJet in the past and they are aligned with Delta Air Lines, Air France, and KLM as well. I wonder if WestJet will join SkyTeam at some point.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
